


An Unexpected Savior

by Luneth



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Lorenz gets hurt real bad, M/M, Rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2019-11-05
Packaged: 2021-02-01 01:55:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21323995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luneth/pseuds/Luneth
Summary: Lorenz has a dangerous run-in with some bandits who know him by name. Things look grim until the arrival of an unexpected savior.
Relationships: Lorenz Hellman Gloucester/Dedue Molinaro
Comments: 16
Kudos: 162
Collections: FE3H Rarepair Port's All Pairings Challenge





	An Unexpected Savior

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SnakeAndShrew](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnakeAndShrew/gifts).

> This is entirely the fault of this beautiful art: https://twitter.com/MichelleDixArt/status/1191205453486645248  
I have nothing else to say in my defense except that Dedue is a good man and Mic is a wonderful artist.

The heir to Gloucester had seen better days.

A rough hand clamped down on the back of his collar, dragging him kicking and screaming through the forest dirt. The trip stopped when the hold abruptly hurled him forward to the ground. His back hit the base of a tree-trunk and knocked the wind out of him. He curled up on the ground, groaning in pain. A heavy boot slammed down on his hand, then rough fingers dug into his scalp to grab a fistful of hair.

“You-!” He gasped and clawed at the grip with his free hand. “Unhand me!”

“You’d best keep your mouth shut, baby noble.” His assailant yanked him upwards and a hand clenched down on the front of his shirt. His feet dangled off the ground as he found himself inches from the leering face of a bandit.

Lorenz swung his fist up into the side of the bandit’s chest, and winced when his knuckles hit metal armor. The bandit’s grin widened in amusement and he gave Lorenz a little shake.

“This wouldna have had to happen if yer pa had just kept his end a the deal.” Lorenz snarled.

“My _ father _ does not make deals with bandits!” The bandit gave a sharp laugh into his face, making him cringe.

“Oh-ho, is that what you think, boy?! Think yer pa’s too noble to be getting his hands dirty with us common folk?” He shook him again, hard enough that Lorenz’s head snapped back and forth. “Listen up, welp. Your little daddy said he was gonna pay us to take care of some dirty work, then decided to hunt us down to erase the trail. We still waiting on our money, and we’d appreciate the soldiers off our backs as well.”

Lorenz bared his teeth, and his eyes flickered around. The clearing they had come to was filled with the remains of the bandit group they had fought. They watched him with that same sick amusement, gleaming hostile eyes.

He was afraid. They had left the rest of the class far behind. His body ached with cuts and bruises, and with a large gash on his leg, he couldn’t run. Blood trickled down from a broken nose, his eyes stung with tears he fought to hold back, and Goddess curse him, he was trembling.

“You’re gonna help us, Lori.” The bandit sneered and his hand tightened on his shirt. “You just better hope yer daddy’s less stingy when his kin’s involved. Or else-”

And just then a fist rocketed past Lorenz’s ear to smash hard into the bandit’s face. The bandit gave a sharp grunt and fell back, Lorenz’s shirt slipping from his hold. His feet hit the ground and he started to crumple but a strong arm around his waist caught him, hoisting him up again.

“Lorenz.” A firm, low voice. Lorenz couldn’t place it, but sensed it came from an ally as opposed to another bandit.

“Oy!” The closest bandit lunged forward, raising his sword. Lorenz heard a soft grunt against him as his rescuer hurled an ax at the bandit, catching him right in the neck. Then the forest blurred as Lorenz found himself scooped up in both arms and his savior spun to go sprinting off through the forest. The shouts of the bandits quickly died behind them, and Lorenz raised his head to look up at who had so single-handedly saved him.

He was met with a rough chiseled face, thick cheekbones, sea-green eyes that stared straight ahead as he ran. Lorenz could only stare, mouth half-open. The man’s visage was, familiar. He wore the uniform of the academy. But not a Golden Deer student. Indeed, he didn’t..._ look _ like most students in the academy.

Once the sounds of the bandits had completely faded, the man’s long lopping sprint slowed to a swift, purposeful stride. Then he glanced down at Lorenz, and his green eyes appeared to pierce straight through him.

“Lorenz,” He said. The sound of his name in the man’s voice gave Lorenz a shock he couldn’t quite define. “Are you direly injured?”

“...I-” Lorenz squeaked, then forced a swallow. “Uhn...” He dropped his gaze down at the forest floor passing below them. The man carried him with no more difficulty than a cat. He was broad, larger than Raphael even, and yet incredibly gentle in how he handled him.

“Y-You don’t...” Lorenz began, “You don’t, need to carry me.”

“Your leg is injured,” The man answered. His businesslike tone offered no room to argue. “Your injuries need to be cleaned as soon as possible. We will get back to the others faster if I carry you.”

“I...” Lorenz’s fingers curled together tight, despite the bolts of pain coming from them. “Th...Thank you...er...you are...?”

“Dedue,” The man answered, and now Lorenz remembered. That large man that was always at the heels of the Kingdom’s crown prince. The Duscur man. The suspicious brute, as some of the monks described him.

There was hardly anything brutish about him from this angle, though, and Lorenz felt a pang of guilt for any influences he may have taken in from those rumors.

“Then, thank you, Dedue.” Lorenz’s gaze slid away to watch the forest. “Y-You saved me from some rather dire straits there.”

“There is no need for thanks,” Dedue grunted. He had already turned his eyes back on the forest path. “We will reunite with the others soon.”

They fell silent after that, with only the sound of Dedue’s shoes crunching through the forest to accompany them. Lorenz tried to ignore the aches of his wounds, especially the burning gash in his leg. He tried to force his mind elsewhere, but all he could think of were the awful words of the bandit, over and over again...

“...My father,” He croaked, “He...surely he would not...” Dedue glanced down at him once more.

“What?”

“W-What did he do?” Lorenz whispered, “What, did my father do? H-He wouldn’t...” He broke off into a whimper and brought his hands up to cover his face. He couldn’t force it down, that nagging thought that something had happened, something his father had done, that made him deserving of this attack.

“Lorenz.”

It might have been his imagination, but it almost sounded like there was a hint of comfort in Dedue’s voice. It was enough that Lorenz looked up to meet his eyes, and indeed, there was a softness in his face.

“I do not know what you are referring to,” He said, “But I do know, that the crimes of your kin do not justify the pain inflicted upon you.”

In the face of such an earnest answer, Lorenz couldn’t even bring himself to laugh. Perhaps that would have been a fitting idea, for a commoner, but Lorenz didn’t have it in him to argue, no, to explain. He simply fell silent again, hands wound tight together. Ahead of them, the forest thinned into a clearing.

“Lorenz!” Ignatz leapt to his feet as Dedue stepped out into the clearing, where a small camp had been set up. “Oh my goodness, are you alright?!”

“I-I am quite all right, Ignatz.” Lorenz could manage a bit of projected ease for his (commoner) classmate. “I just, ran aground with some ruffians.”

“Ignatz, please alert the others to return,” Dedue told him, “I will see to Lorenz’s wounds.”

“Er, pardon?” Lorenz asked as Dedue brought him toward the center of the camp.

“We must clean your injuries to prevent infection.” Dedue spoke as if he was explaining it to a child, not a young adult who had obviously been trained in first aid. He set Lorenz down next to some supplies. “Please hold still.” He then glanced over his shoulder. “Are there any healers here?”

“I think they’re all with the search parties.” Ignatz answered as he released some birds to seek out the other students. They should be back soon, though!”

“Very well.” Dedue reached for a flask of water, and at the same time he lifted Lorenz’s injured leg. “I will start with this.”

“J-Just a moment!” Lorenz yelped. Dedue stopped just as he asked, then lifted his head to peer at him.

“What?” He asked. Lorenz opened his mouth, but floundered for an actual reason. Yes, his wounds needed tending. And certainly Dedue had experienced the same training they all had. So why was Lorenz...?

“...Ah.” Dedue seemed to come to some realization on his own, and he drew back. “You wish for someone else to tend to you. I will-”

“No!” Lorenz cut in. “I...I apologize. You needn’t find someone else. I just, needed to prepare myself.” Dedue stared at him, his face so utterly unreadable.

“...Are you ready now?” He asked. Lorenz gave a mute nod.

The first thing Dedue did was peel away the torn fabric around his wound, ripping it further in the process, but the garment was already a lost cause. He fished a handkerchief out of his pocket and soaked it in water, then began to clean away the dirt and blood. Lorenz had expected him to be rough, but he was astoundingly gentle, moving with careful, practiced strokes. He then wrapped the handkerchief around the wound and tied it snug to stop the bleeding.

“Your face as well-” Dedue began, but Lorenz jerked up one hand to stop him.

“I-I believe I can handle the rest!” He announced, and pulled out one of his own handkerchiefs to demonstrate. Dedue didn’t argue. He simply nodded and passed him the water.

“Then I will wait for the others to return.” With that he rose, turned, and went striding off. Lorenz watched him go, then buried his face into his handkerchief. He wiped clean the tears first before wetting it to wash the rest of his face. Hopefully, as few people as possible would see him in this state.

He peeked out from the cloth again. Dedue had gone out to meet a returning party. Lorenz recognized the flutter of deep blue cloth on one of them. Dimitri hurried forward to clap Dedue on both shoulders. He grinned broadly, then his face fell into a stern frown as he began to lecture him, perhaps about leaving the group to go alone...?

“Lorenz?” Ignatz called out to him, making him jump. “Are you alright? Do you need help?”

“N-No!” Lorenz shook his head. “Certainly not. I was just...lost in thought for a moment.”

He began to clean off his hands, and peeked up out of the corner of his eye. Dedue had his back turned to him as he reported to Dimitri, Byleth, and Claude.

Lorenz didn’t know much about the Blue Lions student. Silent, imposing, a commoner. That was the extent of it. Really, there was no reason for him to learn much else, given their difference in positions.

And yet...

000

He found Dedue in the yard outside the classrooms, examining the hedges there. Lorenz watched him from afar for a moment, took a deep breath, then strode over.

“Dedue!” He called out. “May I have a moment of your time?” Dedue turned to face him, and Lorenz almost faltered in the face of his stoic expression, hard and imposing.

“Lorenz,” He said, “Did you need something?” He did not smile, even as Lorenz flashed a nervous one of his own.

“I...I came to return this.” Lorenz held the handkerchief out in both hands, neatly folded and freshly laundered. Dedue’s expression did not change, and Lorenz could feel the start of an anxious sweat prickle at the back of his neck.

“You needn’t have,” He answered. Even if his tone and expression was rough, his words were proper enough.

“But I insist!” Lorenz quickly fell into the script he recognized. “After all, it must have been a prized possession. I couldn’t help but notice the fine material of the cloth, and the exquisite embroidery!”

“Then, I thank you.” Dedue reached out to take the handkerchief. His hands grazed Lorenz’s own. They were the rough hands of a commoner, a worker, and a fighter. And yet they were so careful as they took the cloth from him, so gentle when they had carried Lorenz through the forest.

“I...It really is fascinating embroidery!” Lorenz went on. His hands, now free, quickly moved to his usual pose, one hand resting over his mouth, another on his hip. “I’m not familiar with that particular style. Is it a Kingdom pattern?”

“No,” Dedue stuck the handkerchief into his pocket. “It is Duscur.” Lorenz blinked in surprise.

“Du...scur?”

Lorenz knew _ of _Duscur. He knew of its extinction, at least. Even Alliance nobles would be aware of a tragedy so devastating, the loss of a king. But...that was where Lorenz’s knowledge ended.

“The handkerchief was given to me by His Highness,” Dedue explained, “The embroidery, I did myself.”

“O-Oh!” Lorenz didn’t bother to hide his surprise. “My goodness! I hadn’t expected...” He led off, then hurried to correct himself. “I mean! What an admirable hobby! And your craftsmanship is impeccable!”

“Thank you.” Dedue’s expression had still not shifted, not in the face of Lorenz’s gaff nor in the face of his compliments. The two of them then fell into a hideously awkward silence.

“...Er-!” Lorenz began once more. “That is to say, I have not properly shown my gratitude. Please, allow me to-”

“No,” Dedue cut him off with a shake of his head, “I need no thanks. Please think nothing of it.”

“It most certainly was not nothing!” Lorenz protested. “You saved me from-” He broke off into a choke as images flashed before his eyes. The cruel smile of the bandit, the pain of his injuries. He squeezed his eyes shut, took in a breath to compose himself. “-from the embarrassment of a ransom.” He finished. “Aiding in the safety of the heir to the Gloucester territories, that is no small feat.”

“I simply did my duty as a classmate and ally,” Dedue answered, “If you wish to give thanks, direct it toward-”

“Dedue!”

Lorenz’s head snapped up as Dimitri strode over, coming to stand at Dedue’s side. “Oh, hello Lorenz.“ Dimitri offered a polite smile. “Is there something you need?”

“Er, no, Your Highness.” Lorenz offered a short bow, proper for a noble of the Alliance to the crown prince of the Kingdom. “I simply came by to thank Dedue for his aid.”

“Of course!” Dimitri pressed one hand to his chest. “We were all quite relieved that you were saved.”

“Er, yes.” Lorenz could feel his cheeks heating up in embarrassment. “Quite.”

Dimitri nodded once more before looking to Dedue. “Class is starting soon. We should head in.”

“Of course.” Dedue nodded, then turned to give Lorenz a formal bow, hand tucked in front of his chest. “Excuse us, Lorenz.”

“Yes of course.” Lorenz fiddled with his rose. “I should, also be heading to my own class. A noble must be timely to all appointments!”

With that, he half-strode, half-fled off down the yard toward the Golden Deer classroom. Once he was gone, Dimitri turned to Dedue.

“Was he bothering you?” He asked. Dedue shook his head.

“No, he simply came to return the handkerchief, and thank me for helping him.”

“Ah, I see.” Dimitri crossed his arms, watching Lorenz’s retreating form. “He didn’t, say anything condescending or cruel?”

“No.” Dedue shook his head. “He was quite polite.”

“Oh, good.” Dimitri nodded. “Well, we really should head to class, then.”

**Author's Note:**

> Dimitri doesn't mean to be a cockblock he's just acutely aware of Lorenz's opinions on commoners and was scared Dedue was going to get rocks thrown at him again or something.
> 
> Dimitri: I must do everything in my power to make sure Dedue is not treated badly.  
Dedue: Your Highness you are preventing me from getting laid.
> 
> UPDATE: Mic then drew MORE amazing art after reading this fic! QuQ https://twitter.com/michelledixart/status/1193647321923432449?s=21


End file.
